Process of distillation.



No. 851,718. PATENTED APR. so, 1907.

J. N. WATT.

PROCESS OF DISTILLATION.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18. 1905.

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JOHN TN. WATT, OF STOCKTON; CALIFORNIA.

PROCESS OF DISTILLATION.

Specification of Letters Patent. I Applicationiiled March 18,1906.Serial No. 260,858

Batented A ril 30, 1907,

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN NELSON WATT, a

tillate the deleterious ingredients present in .the original fermentedliquor.

In the accompanying drawing, the fi ure is a side elevation, partly insection, an zo apparatus suitable for carrying out the above process.

Referring'to the drawing, 1 representsa boiler of any convenient form inwhich any fermented liquor is introduced through open-.

2 ings 2, the interior of said boiler being heated by a steam coil 3,controlled by a valve 23. The vapors generated by the heating of such"liquor are passed through a pipe 4 to a coil.

of pipe 5 in a condenser 6, filled with water 3o by 'a pipe. 7,controlled by a valve 27 .and

with an outlet 8, controlled by avalve 28. Steam is introduced into thiscondenser by a steam pipe 9, controlled by a valve 29, and a thermometerindicates the temperature I 3 5 therein. The liquids and vapors fromsaid coil 5 are discharged by a pipe 11, controlled by a valve 31, intoa closed vessel 12, which is provided with a lass Window 13 opposite tothe bottom of sa1d pipe 11, through which window it can be seen whetherthe material discharged therefrom is in the form' of liquid or vapor.From the-top of said vessel 12 a ipe 14 leads to a suction pump 15,operated ,y a wheel 30, driven-by a belt 32, and

- thence bya pipe 33, controlled by a valve 34, .to achamber 16, discharing beneath the lowest of a series of'bafiie plates 17 therein; fromwhich chamber 16' the uncondenscd vapor discharges by a pipe 18. vAircan be introduced into the chamber 12 by means of The process of distillftion by means of this apparatusis as follows :The fermented liquorhavin been introduced int the boiler and heated to ,a temperature ju tsufiicient togenerate the'lightest vapors, 100 to 120 degreesFahrenheit, and the exhaust pump having been set in operation to adegree of vacuum varying from the highest practicable vacuum toapproximately one third of the atmospheric pressure, the vapors sogenerated are'allowed to escape by the pipe 4 into coil 5, and arepartly condensed therein. It is. found in practice that more volatileportions, such as the ether and fixed gases, load themselves withorentrain the fusel 'oil, and

escape into the vessel 12 and then from said vessel through the pipe 14.'It is believed that this result arises'from said ether and fixed gaseshaving a greater affinity for'the 'fuselv oil than the liquid spirits.

On the commencement'of the operation, i

the most volatile constituents of the liquor,

:such as the ether and gases, carrying with them most, if not all, ofthe fusel oil, escape in large quantities. It is very important .thatnone of this shouldbe condensed, but 'that all of it should escape andbe separated from the brandy .or other spirits. Accordingly, at thecommencement of the operation,

the water around the coil is maintained ata I comparatively hightemperature, .tg degrees Fahrenheit, which is a temperature sufficientlyhigh to insure, that the ether'and gases, carrying with them a part, ifnot all, of

in the coils. After the etherand gases, carrying with them most, if notall, of-the fusel oil contained in the liquid-in the boiler, have beendisposed of in this manner, the temperduced to a temperature suflicientto condense the alcohol vapors coming from the boiler,

It is found that by the above means the resulting liquid is almost, ifnot absolutely,'

pure of fusel oil or ether, the principal deleterious in redients ofspirituous liquors. The resulting li uid isleft in the chamber 12, whilethe et er and gases escape therefrom,

the fusel oil, will pass through the coils without any portion of thembecoming condensed ature of the alter surrounding the coils is rebeingdrawn up by the exhaust pump. In order to insure thatnone of thesenoxious gases are condensed in the chamber 12 the valve 31 is provided,so that by closing said 'valve to a-greater or less extent, thedegree'of vacuum in the chamber 12 may be greater than that in theboilerwhich will prevent any condensation of any of the ether or' othernoxious gases in the chamber 12.

Upon passing from the exhaust pump, the vapors of ether and gasescarrying-the fusel oil pass into chamber 16, and'can onlyescapefusel-oil, pass off, and the fusel oil is condensed by said baffleplates, and drops to the bottom of the chamber 16, whence it can bedrawn off and sold as a commercial product.

By means of the above process the distilla' tion is efiected much morerapidly than heretofore, because the vacuum created by the suction pump,which draws the deleterious fumes away from the distillate, also causesthe vaporization of the fermented liquor to take place more rapidly, andat a lower temperature; this latter condition is. advanta geous, becauseit prevents carbonization of the saccharine matter, and also avoids thebursting of the minute capsules of ether and gases carrying "the fuseloih,

It will be observed "that with the above process both of the operationsof distillation and purificatlo'n' are f performed in a singleoperation, and with scarcely any extra expensein the apparatus, or inthe power re quired, and that a brandy or whisky can be produced whichat the time ofproduction is equal in every respect to one .ten years oldor more, being absolutely free from ether or fusel oil.

In the case of distillation of Whisky from corn or other mash, the mashis left in 'a sweet condition, furnishing excellent food uors 'Whic fofcattle; whereas, in the ordinary process it vapors While under' thereducedtpressure to fractional. condensation at a temperature htween.the'condensing points of alcohol and the head products at. such reducedpressure, whereby-the alcohol is condensed and col lected and theheadvproducts are-separated therefrom, substantially as described.

The recess of distilling fermented liqll consists in vaporizing the sameunder reducedpressure, subjecting the vapors while under'reducedpressure 'to fractional condensation at a temperature between thecondensing-points of alcohol and the headproducts at such reducedpressure, and

then reducing the temperature of the vapors, whereby theyalcohol. iscondensed and collected and-thel-head products are separated therefrom,substantially as described.

In Witness whereofI- have hereunto set my hand in the presenceoftwosubscribing 'vvitnesses.

' 1 "J. N. WATT. Witnesses:

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